He's A Softie
by RedAlert98
Summary: Most people see Roy as being pretty rough around the edges, but Dick knows... Rated T for safety, No slash, friendship, fluff


Dick knows that Roy is a lot of things; sarcastic, rude, cocky, stubborn. He comes off a bit rough to most people, and can cuss like there's no tomorrow. He also seems to live in a permanently exasperated state whenever around Dick or Wally.

But…there's a lot more to it.

Dick knows that Roy is a big softie. The evidence is overwhelming, no matter how much Roy tries to play it off or deny it. A lot of the things Roy would do were small actions or words that many would find unnoticeable, or not give a second thought to. It was actually kinda funny; he did 'mom stuff' a lot. Just with a little more…crudeness.

*While forcibly shoving Dick into a jacket* "Put your damn coat on, it's the friggin arctic out there."

*As he gestures with a spatula* "I JUST made this food, you're gonna eat it or there will be absolutely NO karaoke!"

*Grabbing a shopping basket* "Listen up twerps, don't touch what you're not gonna buy. If you break anything you're payin'."

*Starting the car* "Seatbelt. Now."

...

And it was more than that. When Dick would accidentally fall asleep on Roy's couch at 4 am, he would end up being carried to bed; of course Dick would wake up when this happened, but still feigned being asleep. It was just easier that way. And ya, maybe he liked getting carried every once in a while.

...

There were the times over the years when he got get sick while being babysat (a word Dick detested). Roy was always so good about it, never making Dick feel like a burden, just being there when there was nothing else that could be done. Making him laugh until he lost his already compromised voice, at which point Dick would then glare at him, pouting about his throat that was even more sore.

...

The one time Roy let him keep a stray puppy at his apartment, even though there was a no pet policy.

"Just for tonight, then you take him to a shelter in the morning. Deal?" he had finally relented, with terms Dick could agree to. But it had ended up being a lot of work…keeping the dog quiet was the majority of it. Roy helped mask the barks with other noise such as pots and pans, television, radio, and then answered the noise complaints when people knocked on the door. They made it through a busy and sleepless night, all for some "mangy mutt" as Roy had put it.

For some reason though, the picture that he had taken of Dick and the dog was marked as a favorite on Roy's phone.

...

Roy also could be irritating. In a meaningful way, though. "You done with homework?"

"No."

*Roy turns off TV*

"Come on Roy! I can finish it later!"

"Homework, now. I'll help."

"It's Advanced Calculus."

"Well, then I can sit with you and help you focus. Come on, get up."

...

Now there was one gem that Wally and Dick never teased Roy about in case he decided to take it down. Over the years Roy would always casually request a photo of Dick or Wally at whatever Math, Science, or Athletic competition they won at. Why?

Because on the inside of Roy's closet door, he kept a bulletin board. On this bulletin board were these pictures.

Wally and Dick, in all of their nerd glory.

...

Roy was overprotective; he always knew Wally and Dick's tells. When they were being pushed too hard in school. When the JL were being too big headed towards them. When Dick was in a fight with Bruce. When Wally would blame himself for not being fast enough to save someone. When the persona of Richard Grayson, Bruce Wayne's Ward was overwhelming. And he would always step in, no matter how big or small of a step it was, and get the two of them back on steady ground again.

...

Dick and Wally sometimes weren't able to visit as often as they wanted. It's just that whenever they could, they would. Depending on how things went, they might be able to see Roy 5 times in a week, or once in 2 and a half weeks. Usually at that point Roy would make up some excuse to come and see them; "You're mom wanted me to pick you up from school,", or "Ollie wanted me to come help the Team with training for a few hours", or "Alfred wanted me to babysit - OKAY sorry - supervise you today", but the best excuse Roy ever gave Dick and Wally was "I'm kidnapping you guys today and we're going on a roadtrip, send Bruce and Barry some B.S. excuse of why you're not where you're supposed to be, get your crap together, and let's go."

...

Dick was an artist. Paint, pencil, chalk; those were his big three. But whenever he was sat down somewhere and any piece of paper and pen or pencil was in reach, he was sketching. Any subject, scene, and style, he would draw, ever since he was old enough to hold a pencil. Roy knew Dick was extremely good at it; what was done so casually was frankly, amazing. Even his doodles were fantastic in Roy's opinion, which baffled Dick. So many people have an equal or greater skill set than him, why was Roy making such a big deal out of it? It's not that Roy would gush about Dick's art; on the contrary, he never verbally complimented it. No, what he would do is sneakily take the drawing (Dick wouldn't save them unless they were in his sketchbook), and keep every single one of them in a shoebox dedicated to these drawings. At this point, Roy had 3 shoeboxes full. Even something as simple as an elephant drawn on the back of a receipt, or henna designs on a sticky note. Roy secretly loved this insight into Dick's creativity.

...

Roy was so easily taken down by the puppy dog eyes.

"Can I ride piggyback?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeease?" *adds puppy dog eyes*

"Ugh. Fine."

...

Even though Dick didn't mean to, it was really quite easy to catch Roy off guard, without his gruff exterior. One memorable time was when Dick was at Roy's apartment. The latter was asleep in the bedroom while Dick watched TV, and texted Wally. He hadn't been paying attention to the TV, but a sobby scene had came on from some random episode of whatever. He was too busy being a bad influence to Wally to notice or care at the moment.

However, Roy suddenly ran into the living room, wide eyed and sporting an epic bedhead. He stared at Dick a moment, then looked to the TV, a look of relief on his face.

"I thought you were crying."

...

So ya, to Dick and Wally, Roy was a great big softie. He did the 'mom thing', when you slam on the brakes and throw your arm out over the passenger. He would tickle them mercilessly, save every Christmas and Birthday card he received from those two, mark every photo in his phone with Dick or Wally in them as a 'favorite'. Always a willing springboard for Dick to bounce off of, and volunteering to go with him to high society events when Dick needs him to. Roy's worst scars are on his back, from the two times he threw himself of top of Dick or Wally, acting as a body shield from an explosion. Whenever they were really hurt, he was at their hospital bedside.

But if you didn't know him, you wouldn't think so. Cause more often than not, his greetings sound like:

"Well it took you lame-asses long enough, I've been waiting for an hour. Did you stop for a Happy Meal or something?!"

Actually….they did…

* * *

ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH DEAR FRIENDS, ONCE MORE


End file.
